Chocolate Chip Cupcakes - Margaret Stewart

I started baking for our annual Chanukah party and my first thought is the children.  What do kids like?  Chocolate chip cookies, brownies, cupcakes, sprinkles and frosting. 

The best place for cupcakes is Martha Stewart's book, appropriately called Martha Stewart Cupcakes. Over the recent years, I have made a number of recipes from the book and each has been gobbled by the children and adults, alike.

This time, I chose the chocolate chip cupcakes and I froze them without the frosting.  Actually, they appeal to me plain but for the kids, I will add some frosting, before the party.


Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Dark Chocolate Frosting
Adapted from Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes (I made half of the recipe and did not make the hearts.)

Ingredients:

3 ¼ cups plus 1 tablespoon sifted* cake flour (not self-rising)
4 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons Rice Dream
½ cup plus 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 ¾ cups sugar
2 1/2 egg beaters
1 1/2 cups  semisweet chocolate chips

For the Icing:
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons boiling water
1 ½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup confectioner’s sugar, sifted
Pinch of salt
1 pound best-quality semi-sweet chocolate, melted and cooled

 Method:

Preheat the oven to 350 and line standard muffin tins with paper liners.

Whisk together 3 ¼ cups cake flour, baking powder, and salt.

Combine Rice Dream and vanilla.

Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, in another bowl cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar in a steady stream, beat until pale and fluffy.

Reduce the mixer speed to low. Add the flour mixture to the creamed butter in three batches, alternating with two additions of the milk mixture, and beating until just combined after each. In other words add 1/3 of the flour mixture then mix, then add ½ the milk mixture then mix, and repeat until combined.

Fold in egg beaters.

Coat the chocolate chips with the 1 tablespoon of flour, then add to the batter.

Divide the batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarter full. Bake the cupcakes for about 22 minutes,  (or until done – insert a sharp knife into the center of the cupcake, if it comes out clean then they are done).

Transfer cupcakes to wire racks to cool completely.

Eat and enjoy.